January 22, 2009

Oscar Nominations: The Theatrical Take

For years, I haven't been all that interested in going to the movies. I even canceled my Netflix subscription because the DVDs were sitting unwatched on my coffee table for months on end. I think it might be an ADD thing: most of my recent entertainment has been in the form of watching TV shows on DVD or fast-forwarding through very select cable shows on TiVo.

But starting in the fall, my interest in movie going became rekindled by a number of theater-related releases, a number of which received Oscar nods when the Academy Award nominations were announced this morning. Here's my decidedly myopic take on those nominations.

Beyond the stage-to-screen adaptations, there's the marvelous "WALL-E," which earned six nominations, including ones for best animated feature and best original screenplay. (Read my review of "WALL-E" here.) Regular readers will recall why this movie is of theatrical interest: in the course of the events in this lovely film, showtunes -- in particular, those from the film version of "Hello, Dolly!" -- play a significant role in nothing less than saving the frickin' world itself. I mean, what's not to love? I was disappointed that "WALL-E" didn't snag a nom for best picture, but it's pretty clear that the movie's going to win, at the very least, best animated feature. (It's up against "Bolt" and "Kung Fu Panda." Hello.)

Also of note: the well-received Gus Van Sant movie "Milk" garnered eight nominations, including those for best picture and best
adapted screenplay. Yeah, this isn't really theater-related, but it is gay-related -- and, really,
on some level, aren't they really the same thing? Of both theatrical and gay interest is the fact that hottie Hugh Jackman
will host the February 22nd Academy Awards.

Comments

Oscar Nominations: The Theatrical Take

For years, I haven't been all that interested in going to the movies. I even canceled my Netflix subscription because the DVDs were sitting unwatched on my coffee table for months on end. I think it might be an ADD thing: most of my recent entertainment has been in the form of watching TV shows on DVD or fast-forwarding through very select cable shows on TiVo.

But starting in the fall, my interest in movie going became rekindled by a number of theater-related releases, a number of which received Oscar nods when the Academy Award nominations were announced this morning. Here's my decidedly myopic take on those nominations.

Beyond the stage-to-screen adaptations, there's the marvelous "WALL-E," which earned six nominations, including ones for best animated feature and best original screenplay. (Read my review of "WALL-E" here.) Regular readers will recall why this movie is of theatrical interest: in the course of the events in this lovely film, showtunes -- in particular, those from the film version of "Hello, Dolly!" -- play a significant role in nothing less than saving the frickin' world itself. I mean, what's not to love? I was disappointed that "WALL-E" didn't snag a nom for best picture, but it's pretty clear that the movie's going to win, at the very least, best animated feature. (It's up against "Bolt" and "Kung Fu Panda." Hello.)

Also of note: the well-received Gus Van Sant movie "Milk" garnered eight nominations, including those for best picture and best
adapted screenplay. Yeah, this isn't really theater-related, but it is gay-related -- and, really,
on some level, aren't they really the same thing? Of both theatrical and gay interest is the fact that hottie Hugh Jackman
will host the February 22nd Academy Awards.